Gen. Dan Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the United States, revealed detailed information about the initial timeline of the military operation codenamed “Operation Epic Fury” targeting Iran during a press conference at the Pentagon on Monday, March 2.
General Caine stated that the operation was meticulously planned over several months. As of now, it is in the first phase aimed at completely dismantling Iran’s command and offensive capabilities. He disclosed that the highest command for the operation came from President Trump.
On Friday, February 27, at 3:38 PM Eastern Time:
The Central Command received the President’s “Final Go Order.” In the order, President Trump explicitly stated, “Operation Epic Fury has been approved. Do not stop. Good luck.”
Following this, U.S. military units entered a state of preparedness for combat: two aircraft carrier battle groups shifted to launch positions, B-2 stealth bombers took off from the continental U.S., embarking on a 37-hour roundtrip long-range raid.
In the early hours of Saturday, February 28, at 1:15 AM Eastern Time:
Over 100 U.S. military aircraft and sea-based forces launched synchronized strike waves. This large-scale air raid was triggered by an event executed by the Israeli Defense Forces under Israeli Intelligence provided by the CIA.
With precise intelligence support from the CIA, Israel carried out a strike on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s residence in Tehran.
Iran has officially confirmed Khamenei’s death in the attack, with preliminary reports indicating the loss of about 40 senior military and political figures who were meeting at the time. General Caine described it as a surgical strike achieved using “excellent intelligence,” successfully disrupting Iran’s command chain.
During briefings from Sunday to Monday, March 2, at 8 AM Eastern Time:
The operation had been ongoing for approximately 57 hours. General Caine and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth provided key data:
Target Numbers: The U.S.-Israel coalition hit over 1,000 targets within the first 24 hours, focusing on striking Iran’s ballistic missile bases, naval facilities, and command control centers.
Air Superiority: The coalition established absolute air superiority over Iranian airspace, with U.S. Patriot and THAAD systems currently focused on intercepting hundreds of retaliatory missiles launched by Iran and its proxies.
Target Focus: The primary focus of the first phase is to destroy infrastructure to “confuse and disrupt” enemy forces, ensuring the U.S. military can continue operations over Iranian airspace.
Casualties: Currently, there have been 4 U.S. military personnel killed and several others critically injured. Reports on Monday afternoon indicated the death toll had risen to 6.
Secretary of War Hegseth emphasized that the goal of “Operation Epic Fury” is to “precisely target” and completely eliminate Iran’s nuclear threat and missile production capabilities. President Trump had previously predicted through social media that the conflict could last 4 to 5 weeks.